Electric illuminating and starting plant for power vehicles



Aug. 11, 1925. 1,549,045

' M. RALL ET AL ELECTRIC ILLUMINATING AND STARTLNG PLANT FQR POWER VEHICLES Filed May 18, 1922 RIP Patented Aug. ll, 19235.

UNET STATES M 2; BALL, or sru'rreA-iarr, memos CONZELMANN, or STUTTGART-GABLENBERG,

AND HERIVIANN PFLIGHT IIOFER, CANNSTADT, GERMANY, ASSIG-NORS TO ROBERT Boson AKTIENGESELLSCH'AFT, or strurreanr, GERMANY.

ELECTRIC ILLUMINATING AND STARTING PLANT FCR rowan VEHICLES.

Application filed May 18, 1922. Serial No. 561,913

To aZZ whom it may Concern.

Be it known that we, MAX BALL, HEIN RICH CONZELMANN, and I-IERMANN PFLICHT- Horns, all citizens of Germany, residing at Stuttgart, Stuttgart-Gablenberg, and Cannsta'dt, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Electric Illuminating and Starting Plant for Power Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an arrangement of the fuses in electric illuminating and starting plants for power-vehicles. In such plants, just as with other electric plants, the

various circuits must be protected by fuses.

The known wiring arrangements are provided for that purpose, with a comparatively large number of fuses, generally of various sizes. Such an arrangement is objectionable because not only are a comparatively large number of fuses required for regular use, but additional fuses must be kept at hand to replace blown fuses and when fuses of different sizes are used, the number of fuses which must be available for replacement is coiiiparatively large. The employment of fuses of different sizes is furthermore objectionable because in replacing a blown fusea fuse of the wrong size may be used with the possibility that damage to the mechanism may result.

Such drawbacks are obviated by our present invention which consists in arranging and combining the parts concerned in such amanner that the whole plant requires but two fuses which are singly arranged in series with the lamps or the lamp groups, but are together arranged in series with the starting motor, the fuses themselves being in this case connected in parallel. Owing to this arrangement and combination of the fuses with the lamps and the starting motor, only one size of spare fuses is required so that no mistakes can occur.

In order to make our invention clearer, we refer to the accompanying drawing, in which is illustrated, by way of example, one arrangement and combination of the kind in question in two positions, 1 showing the one position and Fig. 2 the other; similar numbers of reference denote similar parts in the two figures.

The battery 1 feeds search-lights 2" and 2 auxiliary or side-lamps 3 and 3 and a tail lantern 4:- Also the starting motor 5 receives current from thebattery 1. The fuses 6 and 7 arelocated between the bat tery and the switches 8 and 9. The switcl'i 8 serves for switching in and changing over the various lamps; the object of the switch 9 is to switch in and out the starter.

In the position shown in Fig. 1, the tail lantern 4: is switched in, as are also the searcl1lights 2" and 2 The circuit for the search-light .2 contains the battery 1, the fuse 6, and the switch arm 10; the circuit for the search-light 2 contains the battery, the fuse 7 and the switch-arm. 11. The current feeding the tail lamp passes over the fuse 6 and the switch-arm 12.

If the switch 8 is turned to the position shown in Fig. 2 the auxiliary lamps 3" and 8 are switched in in lieu of the search-lights 2 and 2. The current for the auxiliary lamp 3 now passes over the fuse 6 and the switch arms 10 and 12 whereas the current for the auxiliary lamp 3 passes over the fuse 7 and the switch arm 11. The tail lamp 4 remains switched in over the fuse 6 and the switch arm 10.

Supposing, the lamps 2" and 3 be located on the one side of the vehicle, andthe lamps 2 and 8 on the other, the elfect of the wiring connections as shown and described in the case of a fuse blowing, is that only one side of the vehicle becomes unlighted, irrespective of which lamps have been switched in. e

The circuit of the starting motor 6 has a load which surpasses considerably that of the single lainp-cirouits, in consequence of which the starting motor circuit must be protected not merely. the one or the other of the fuses 6 and 7, but by both together which, then, are connected in parallel with each other. The switch 9 is appropriately constructed, and special attention is paid to, the pointthat switching in themotor 5 takes placeonly after the fuses 6 and 7 are connected in parallelwith each other, the fuse 6 being connected with the switch 9 and the fuse 7 being connected with the counter contact 15. If, then, the contact spring 14 touches the counter-contact 16, whereby the circuit for thestartingmotor is closed, the current passes through both fuses.

The special mama/16a a as swaths:

8 and 9 depends, of course, upon the number and kind of the circuits which are to cooperate with the switches, and is left to the discretion of the constructive electrical engineer.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an electric lighting and starting plant for power vehicles, the combination, with a source of current, lamps or lamp groups, and a starting motor, of two fuses, means whereby they are singly connected in series with the lamps or lamp-groups, and means whereby they are connected in parallel with each other in series with the starting motor.

2. An electric lighting and starting plant for power vehicles comprising a source of current, a plurality of lamps arranged in groups, each group consisting of lamps for one of the sides of the vehicle, a starting motor, two fuses, and means whereby said fuses are singly connected in series with the lamp groups and connected in multiple with each other and in series with the starting motor, said means comprising lamp and motor circuits and a switch in said lamp circuits between the fuses and the lamp groups provided with two sets of contacts, the contacts of one set being connected with the lamps of one group and one of the fuses and the contacts of the other set being connected with the lamps of another group and the other fuse.

3. An electric starting and lighting plant for power vehicles comprising a source of current, lamps or lamp groups, a starting motor, a plurality of fuses, means including a plurality of lamp circuits whereby said fuses are singly connected in series with said lamps or lamp groups, and a motor circuit whereby said fuses are connected in multiple with each other and in series with the starting motor, said motor circuit including a starting switch, said switch operable to complete the circuit to the motor after the connection of the fuses in multiple.

4. An electric starting and lighting plant for power vehicles comprising a source of current, a plurality of lamps arranged in groups, each group consisting of lamps for one of the sides of the vehicle, a starting motor, two fuses, and means whereby said fuses are singly connected in series with the lamp groups and connected in multiple with each other and in series with the starting motor, said means comprising lamp and motor circuits, a starting switch in said motor circuit operable to complete the circuit after the connection of the fuses in multiple, and a switch in said lamp circuits between the fuses and the lamp groups, said switch provided with two sets of contacts, the contacts of one set being connected with.

the lamps of one group and one of the fuses and the contacts of the other set being connected with the lamps of another group and the other fuse.

5. A system for distribution of electric current comprising a source of current, a plurality of load circuits, and a plurality of circuit breakers connecting the load circuits with the source of current, said circuit breakers being singly connected in series in certain of said load circuits, at least two of said circuit breakers being connected in multiple with each other and in series in another of said load circuits.

6. A system for distribution of electric current con'iprising a source of current, a plurality of current consuming devices, a plurality of circuit breakers connections for singly connecting said circuit breakers in series with certain of said current consuniing devices, and connections for connecting said circuit breakers in multiple vith each other and in series with another of said current consuming devices.

7. An electric current distributing system comprising, a source of current, a plurality of current consuming devices, a plurality of circuit breakers and means for singly connecting said circuit breakers in series with certain of said current consuming devices, and means for connecting at least two of said circuit breakers in multiple with each other and in series with another of said current consuming devices.

8. A system for distribution of electr c current comprising a source of current, a device consuming a comparatively heavy current, a plurality of devices each consuming a comparatively small current, a plura ity of circuit breakers, means whereby said circuit breakers are singly connected in series with the devices consuming a comparatively small current and means whercby at least two of said circuit breakers are connected in multiple with each other and in series with the device consuming a COIll' paratively heavy current.

9. A system for distribution of electric current comprising a source of current, a plurality of circuit ln'eakers of substantially equal capacity, a plurality of con'iparatively small-cin'rent consuming devices each normally consuming less current than the capacity of any one of said circuit breakers, a comparatively heavy-current-consuming means normally consuming more current than the capacity of any one of said circuit breakers, means whereby the circuit breakers are singly connected in series with the comparatively small-current-consuming devices, and means whereby the circuit breakers are connected. in multiple with each other and in series with the comparatively heavy-'current-consuming means.

10. A system for distrilmtion of electric current comprising a source of current, aplurality of lamp circuits, a power circuit, a plurality of circuit breakers connecting the lamp and power circuits with the source of current, one of said circuit breakers being singly connect-ed in series in each of the lamp circuits, said circuit breakers be-" ing connected in multiple with each other and in series in the power circuit.

11. An electric lighting and starting plant for power vehicles comprising a source of current, a plurality of lamps arranged in groups, each group consisting of lamps for one of the sides of the vehicle, a starting motor, a plurality of fuses, a lighting switch, and connections between said source of current, lamps, starting motor, fuses and lighting switch whereby each of said fuses can be singly connected in series with only one group of lamps, said fuses being connected in multiple with each other and in series with the starting motor, said lighting switch operable to selectively connect in pairs one lamp from each group.

12. An electric lighting and starting plant for power vehicles comprising a source of current, a plurality of lamps arranged in groups, each group consisting of lamps for one of the sides of the vehicle, a starting motor, two fuses, and means whereby said fuses are singly connected in series with the lamp groups and connected in multiple with each other and in series with the starting motor, said means comprising lamp and motor circuits and a switch in said lamp circuits between the fuses and the lamp groups, comprising two sets of contacts, the contacts of one set being connected with the lamps of one group and one of the fuses, the contacts of the other set being connected with the lamps of another group and the other fuse and a switch lever having two contact bridges movable to connect a lamp contact and a fuse contact in each set of contacts.

13. An electric lighting system for power vehicles comprising a source of current, a plurality of lamps arranged in groups, each group consisting of lamps for one of the sides of the vehicle, said lamps also arranged in pairs, the lamps of each pair being arranged on opposite sides of the vehicle, a plurality of circuit breakers, one for each group of lamps, a switch, and connections between the source of current, lamps, circuit breakers and switch whereby each of said circuit breakers can be singly connected only with one group of lamps, said switch operable to selectively connect in pairs one lamp from each group.

In testimony whereof we have atliXed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

MAX RALL. [11.3.] HEINRICH CONZELMANN. [L. s.] HERMANN PFLICHTHOFER [L.S.] Vitnesses BERT. A. BRAUN, Or'ro lVAGNER. 

